Aides chase rumors of who could have written opinion piece on alleged effort within administration to thwart Trump’s impulses

WASHINGTON—White House aides launched a search for the anonymous author of an opinion column who claimed Wednesday to be part of a secret group of officials inside the administration acting as a check on President Trump’s “worst inclinations.”

An angry president called the New York Times piece “a disgrace,” slammed its author as “gutless” and demanded that the Times reveal the identity of the author.